Our 2016 Seminar Series, made possible by presenting funder PetSmart Charities, came to an end last month as we finished facilitating our last seminar of the year, Beyond Spay/Neuter. Attendees from coast to coast traveled to Austin to be a part of the first Beyond Spay/Neuter and we're happy to say we couldn't have had a better group to finish out 2016 with!

This group went above and beyond in their quest for knowledge last month during Beyond Spay/Neuter!

To kick off 2017, our presenters will be traveling across the country to present our free, one-day seminar, How to Have “The Talk” in four different cities:

Have a great rest of the year and make sure to check back in with us this January- we've got a huge announcement that we can't wait to share with you!

Don't You (Forget About Me)

by Gretchen Nelson

Are we managing with the same care with which we are hiring? We all know that hiring well can be hard work. In fact, we have developed a system at Emancipet that is almost bullet proof for hiring people that will be successful in our culture. No matter what system you are using, hiring takes time, and if we are going to invest the time up front, it follows that we should spend an equal or greater amount of time and consideration making our workplace one that people want to be in! This means that we need tools to positively shape the experience of the people that we are responsible for every day. One great tool Emancipet managers use to better understand the needs of new employees is the Personal Inventory worksheet.

The Personal Inventory provides a supervisor with the opportunity to discover an employee’s learning style, stress indicators, motivators, and preferred mode of recognition or reward. Every employee fills one out and shares it with their manager during their first week of employment. By completing the Personal Inventory, the employee is sharing the type of support they need from their supervisor so they can be successful in their growth and development. In turn, the employee’s answers to the questions on the worksheet (which are confidential between supervisor and employee) provide the supervisor with information that will help them to create a transformative experience for that person. Successful managers engage and empathize with their employees by coaching them through both professional and personal development milestones. By asking these questions about personal habits and preferences, the supervisor is asking for trust and making a promise to honor the individual needs of the person that they are responsible for supporting.

For instance, if an employee divulges that they jump rope on one foot to combat stress, the supervisor should be curious and checking in about how the jump rope is going: Do they have any competitions coming up? Are the extra shifts that they have been working lately encroaching on “jump-time”? Do they go through one shoe much faster than the other? If another employee tells the supervisor that they have set a personal goal of leaping over a tall building in a single bound, and they then achieve this (because you hired a super hero), then the supervisor needs to check the Personal Inventory for how that person would prefer to receive recognition for their accomplishment. If they answered that they prefer private recognition (to protect their secret identity), then the supervisor should follow through with providing feedback privately as requested. Sending an organization-wide email to congratulate them would violate their trust (even if the manager is proud and wants to tell the world), but providing that employee with a handwritten note shows that you care as much about them and their accomplishments today as you did on day one.

The Personal Inventory is just one step in the Monthly Check-in Process that Emancipet uses to ensure supervisors engage and communicate with their employees about their growth and development opportunities. Supervisors that are curious, confidential, consistent, and caring with their employees will have an engaged workforce that succeeds at meeting the organization’s mission, and protects the culture that (hopefully) makes it a thoughtful, supportive, and empowering place to work!

Take a look at the Personal Inventory here, and adapt it to fit your team!

We're hiring!

Emancipet is searching for veterinarians for our Central Texas clinics. If you or someone you know is interested, check it outhere!

2017 Seminar Series

All 2-day seminars take place in Austin, TX unless other-wise specified.
If you have any questions or would like to register, please emailus!

January 11
How to Have “The Talk”:
How to Talk About Spay/Neuter EffectivelyVan Nuys, CAJanuary 13
How to Have “The Talk”:
How to Talk About Spay/Neuter EffectivelyPasadena, CAJanuary 30
How to Have “The Talk”:
How to Talk About Spay/Neuter EffectivelyAustin, TXFebruary 3
How to Have “The Talk”:
How to Talk About Spay/Neuter EffectivelyPhiladelphia, PAMarch 27-28
Next Generation Leadership:
Skills for Emerging LeadersMay 1-2
Veterinarian to Leader:
Leadership Skills for Medical Directors